Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha welcomes US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to Bangkok, Thailand, June 13, 2022. (DoD photo by Chad J. McNeeley)

 

Thailand is an ally of the United States, so there’s a strong relationship of which we have to remain mindful. This is an important country to us, said Lloyd Austin, United States Secretary of Defence, during his press conference in Bangkok on Monday.

 

This is the fourth time that Austin has been in Asia since he took the job, and it is the first time that he has made an official visit to Thailand. America appears keen to tell its allies in the East that it is not going anywhere.

 

Austin was in Singapore over the weekend, for the Shangri-La Dialogue, where he attended the conference as US cabinet member for the first time. His keynote speech created waves when he said that the US sees growing coercion from Beijing and is “witnessing a steady increase in provocative and destabilizing military activity near Taiwan”.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/a-free-and-open-indo-pacific-a-common-vision-us-secretary-of-defence/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-06-14

 

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Secretary Austin means well.  About time he came to Thailand.

Define "free", there are at least two meanings in the English language, free as freedom and free as without cost.

Or free without hinderance?